heckle

  • 1Heckle — Hec kle, n. & v. t. Same as {Hackle}. [1913 Webster] …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2Heckle — Hec kle, v. t. 1. To interrogate, or ply with questions, esp. with severity or antagonism, as a candidate for the ministry. Robert bore heckling, however, with great patience and adroitness. Mrs. Humphry Ward. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] 2. To shout… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3heckle — index annoy, badger, bait (harass), discompose, harass, harry (harass), hector …

    Law dictionary

  • 4heckle — vb *bait, badger, hector, chivy, hound, ride Analogous words: plague, pester, harass, harry, *worry, annoy: disconcert, rattle, faze, discomfit, *embarrass: rack, torment (see AFFLICT) …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 5heckle — [v] jeer badger, bait, bother, bully, chivy, dis*, discomfit, disconcert, disrupt, disturb, embarrass, faze, gibe, hound*, interrupt, pester, plague, rattle, ride*, ridicule, shout at, taunt, tease, torment, worry; concepts 44,47 Ant. encourage,… …

    New thesaurus

  • 6heckle — ► VERB ▪ interrupt (a public speaker) with derisive comments or abuse. ► NOUN ▪ an instance of heckling. DERIVATIVES heckler noun. ORIGIN originally in the sense «dress (flax or hemp) with a comb to split and straighten the fibres»: from a… …

    English terms dictionary

  • 7heckle — [hek′əl] vt. heckled, heckling [ME hekelin < hechele: see HACKLE1] 1. HACKLE1 2. [orig. Scot] to annoy or harass (a speaker) by interrupting with questions or taunts n. HACKLE …

    English World dictionary

  • 8heckle — {{11}}heckle (n.) flax comb, c.1300, hechel, perhaps from an unrecorded O.E. *hecel or a cognate Germanic word (Cf. M.H.G. hechel, M.Du. hekel), from P.Gmc. *hakila , from PIE *keg hook, tooth (see HOOK (Cf. hook)). {{12}}heckle (v.) early 14c.,… …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 9heckle — [[t]he̱k(ə)l[/t]] heckles, heckling, heckled VERB If people in an audience heckle public speakers or performers, they interrupt them, for example by making rude remarks. [V n] They heckled him and interrupted his address with angry questions...… …

    English dictionary

  • 10heckle —  1) to heckle tow, to dress it. N.  2) to heckle, is to look angry ; as a cock raises his heckle when enraged. Derb …

    A glossary of provincial and local words used in England